sexting

Twenty-eight percent of high school students have sent naked pictures of themselves through email or text, according to a study led by the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. The researchers also found that teens who sexted were more likely to have had sex than those who did not send out nude photos of themselves. The results of the UTMB study are much higher than rates found in previous studies. A study published in the journal Pediatrics last year found that one percent of...

A bill to hold teenage minors accountable for sending sexually explicit images of them or other minors without subjecting them to felony child pornography or trafficking charges now has Governor Rick Perrys signature. Senate Bill 407 , the so-called Sexting Bill, was sponsored by State Senator Kirk Watson, D-Austin. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott said he praised the common-sense law that holds wrongdoers accountable but does not impose life-altering consequences. Effective Sept. 1,...

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott and State Senator Kirk Watson of Austin are proposing an initiative to help curb sexting in Texas. Sexting is a relatively recent phenomenon where teenagers exchange sexually explicit text messages or images. A study last year by the Pew Research Centers Internet & American Life Project found that 4 percent of cell-owning teens ages 12-17 say they have sent sexually suggestive nude or nearly nude images or videos of themselves to someone else via text...